Auxiliary car step



Jan. 23, 1923, 1,443,057

P. SWANSON ET AL. AUXILIARY CAR STEP. FALED OcT. 12. 1922. 3 SHEETS 'SHEET 1 Jan. 2.1% 1923. 1,443,957

P SWANSO AL.

Aux I L] ARY STEP FILED 0m. 1 2. I922 3 SHEETS'SHEET 2 Jan. 23, M23.

P. SWANSON ET AL. AUXILIARY CAR STEP FILED OpT. 12. 1922.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3 Fatentedl fan. 23, W23.

AUXILIARY GAR STEP.

application filed October 12, 1922. Serial 1 10. 593,993.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, PETER Swanson and Amen W. CAnLsoN, each a citizen of the United States, residing at Fly, in the county of St. Louis and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improve ments in Auxiliary Car Steps, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to improvements in auxiliary steps for a railway car platform.

The object of the invention is to provide such a step which is more practical and easily operated in either direction than those now upon the market.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the further descrip tion thereof.

Referring to the accompanying drawings forming part of this application in which like reference characters indicate like parts:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the broken away lower portion of the vestibule of a railway car'showing the under back view of the steps into the vestibule with the auxiliary step and trap door of the vestibule Figure 2 is a perspective view of the counterweight which is provided for the purpose of insuring the easy operation of the device in either direction;

Figure 3 is a broken plan view of the lower portion of the operating handle and means for holding the auxiliary step in either closed or extended position;

Figure 1 is a side elevation of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a vertical central sectional view of the upper portion of Figure 3;

Figure 6 is a section on the line 6-6, Figure 3;

Figure 7 is a side elevation of the lower portion of the vestibule steps illustrating a modified form of counterweight attachment and operating lever, and

Figure 8 is an enlarged top plan view of the lock escutcheon about the operating lever shown in Figure 7.

l and 2 represent the opposite side walls of the ordinary steps into the vestibule of a railway passengercar, to the lower outer corners of which is pivotally suspended by suitable links 3 the auxiliary step 1. The links 3 are pivotally attached to the rearmost corners of the step as at 5 sothat the step when lowered into receptive position for a pedestrian will occur in proper sequence with the stationary vestibule steps, and when folded upwardly and backwardly will occur in close proximity to the under side of the lowermost stationary step.

Spaced arms 6 are rigidly fixed to the under side of the step a, extend rearwardly thereof, aid are bent upwardly as at 7, where they are pivotally connected, as at 8, to the depending arms 9, rigidly fixed to the transverse rotatable shaft 10, which is suitably journalled as at 11 upon the inner faces ofthe rearmost portions of the side walls 1 and 2. v i

This shaft 10 projects outwardly beyond the outermost side wall 1, as at 12, where there is securely attached thereto the lever 13, having formed in one end thereof the elongated longitudinal slot 14, in which the lever 13 is pivotally attached as at 15 to the operating lever 16, the upper end 17 of which extends through the platform 18 of the vestibule where it is manually controlled. This operating lever is pivotally mounted as at 19 in a suitable bracket 20 attached to the vestibule platform 18, and the upper end of the lever is provided with the handle 21 which is bent away from the vestibule opening so as not to engage the clothing of a passenger leaving the car. The lower end of the operating lever extends somewhat beyond its pivotal connection 15 and has formed thereon an o-fi'set handle 22, this being provided so that the auxiliary step may be manually operated from the outside as well as from the inside of the vestibule.

One end of the pitman 23 is pivotally at tachecl as at 24 to the upper end 17 of the operating lever 16 and the opposite end of this pitman has an elongated slot 25 therein through which is positioned a pin securely attached to the crank arm 26, fixedto the short upright crank shaft 27 journalled within the rectangular shaft housing 28 of the door bolt, said housing being firmly attached to the vestibule platform in any desired manner. The upper end of the shaft 27 is bent at right angles to provide a handle therefor, and a journal bracket is shown at 38 to hold the shaft 27 in vertical position. The shaft 27 also extends below the platform 18 where another journal bracket 29 is provided which is securely attached to the side wall 1, the extreme lower end ofthe shaft being bent at right angles forming a handle so that the door bolt also can be operated from either the inside or outside of the vestibule.

The bracket 20 extends below the pla form 18 which, portion of course is also bifurcated as the lever 16 passes therethrough. In the lower end of the bracket there is provided two arcuately shaped slots 30.

Mounted upon the lever 16 is the housing 31 which consists of two halves securely bolted together about the lever 16, the filler blocks 32 being installed intermediate of the two halves and adjacent the sides of the lever 16. The upper surface of each half has integrally formed thereon the lugs 32, they being spaced apart a distance equal to the width of the bracket 20 for overlapping same. Each half of the housing 31 is hollowed outto permit of the installation of the springs 33, the upper ends of which abut against the top of the housing and the lower ends against a pin 34 through the lever 16. In this manner the action of the springs tend to force the housing against the depending portion of the bracket 20, there being a hub formed intermediate of the lugs 32 for engagement within the slots 30; this being provided to prevent the accidental lowering of the auxiliary step.

An enlargement of the lever 16 occurs at 35 to provide additional bearing surface for the lever 13. To the inner end of the rod 10 is fixed in any desired manner, as by the through pin 36, the counterweight 37, which is for the purpose of aiding in the operation of the device in either raising or lowering the auxiliary step, and to prevent the counterweight from falling beyond a predetermined position when the auxiliary step is extended, I have provided the leaf spring 39, which may be secured in any desired manner to the vestibule, as by the bracket 40.

In Figure 7 is shown a modified form of operating lever and counterweight for the shaft 10, wherein the lever 41 is rigidly fixed to the shaft 10 and when in the position illustrated the auxiliary step is closed. Uaon the free end of the lever 41 is pivotaliy attached as at 42 a vertically disposed operating lever 43 which extends upwardly through the platform 18 of the vestibule and has an elliptical handle 44 formed thereu on.

Spaced below the handle 44 and through the rod 43 is fixed a transverse pin 45, so that when the rod 43 is fully depressed in the act of raising the auxiliary step, the rod may be rotated to bring said pin in alignment with suitable notches in the lower edge of the cylindrical extension 50 of the escutcheon 46 where it will be held by the upward exertion of the leaf spring 51 against which the lower face of the weight 49 impinges; said leaf spring being rigidly fixed as at 52 to the side wall 1 of the vestibule step. This temporary locking of the rod in position is for the purpose of overcoming excessive vibration during the travelling of the car. The same relationship exists between the similar leaf spring 53 attached as at 54 to the side wall of the vestibule steps and the pin 55 which extends through and is rigidly fixed to the rod 43 some distance below the pin 45, and in alignment therewith so that when the rod 43 is first rotated in such a manner as to bring the pins 44 and 45 in alignment with the opposed slots 56 in the cylindrical extension 50 of the escutcheon and drawn up therethrough to its extreme position and turned a quarter turn the pin 55 will rest in the notch 48 in the uppermost cylindrical portion of the escutcheon, thereby being temporarily locked.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. The combination with a car platform auxiliary step controlled by a horizontally disposed shaft below the platform, and a vertically disposed lever for manually operating the shaft, of a )ivotal connection intermediate of the shat and the lowermost end of the lever having locking means associated therewith to prevent a weight upon the step from operating same.

2. Means for controlling the trap door and auxiliary step on a railway car platform, said auxiliary step having a horizontally disposed shaft associated therewith: comprising an upwardly extending lever rigidly fixed to one end of the shaft, an operating lever extending upwardly through the platform and pivotally carried thereupon, a pivotal connection intermediate of the lower end of the operating lever and the free end of the shaft lever, said connection being so formed as td prevent rotation of the shaft when in either extreme position except by the manipulation of the operating lever.

3. Means for controlling the trap door and auxiliary step on a railway car platform, said auxiliary step having a horizontally disposed shaft associated therewith: comprising an upwardly extending lever rigidly fixed to one end of the shaft, an operating lever extending upwardly through the platform and pivotally carried thereupon, a pivotal connection intermediate of the lower end of the operating lever and the free end of the shaft lever, means within said pivotal connection to prevent rotation of the shaft when in either extreme position except by the manipulation of the operating lever.

4. Means for controlling the trap door and auxiliary step on a railway car platform, said auxiliary step having a horizonmas er tally disposed shaft associated therewith: comprising an upwardly extending lever rigidly fixed to one end or the shaft, an operating lever extending upwardly through the platform and pivotally carried thereupon, a pivotal connection intermediate of the lower end of the operating lever and the free end of the shaft lever, means within said pivotal connection to prevent rotation of the shaft when in either extrem position except by the manipulation of the operating lever, said operating lever being operable from both ends thereof.

5. Means for controlling the trap door and auxiliary step on a railway car platform, said auxiliary step having a horizontally disposed shaft associated therewith: comprising an upwardly extendinglever rigidly fixed to one end of the shaft, an operating lever extending upwardly through the rah platform and pivotally carried thereupon, a pivotal connection intermediate of the lower end of the operating lever and the free end of the Shaft lever, means Within said pivotal connection to prevent rotation of the shaft when in either extreme position except by the manipulation of the operating lever, said operating lever being operable from both ends thereof, and carrying means to normally hold same in either extreme position, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we hereunto afiix our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

rnrnn swanson. AXEL WV. CARLSON.

Witnesses:

J. E. Jormson,

0.. T. linninenns. 

